Medwyn Williams is sowing tomatoes
Start seed now for juicy, plump toms in time for summer
Ialways sow my tomatoes around this time every year. There are far more varieties of tomatoes available these days than I can ever remember. The range, shape, size, and taste vary enormously and everyone you speak to has their own favourite. Last year I grew one of our newer varieties called ‘Goldwin’, a small, yellow-fruited variety with a thin skin and I harvested the last of them in early December. And at the Chelsea Flower Show last year I launched ‘Y Ddraig Goch’, a medium-sized tomato that has a thin skin with good taste and is the first vegetable ever to be registered in the Welsh language.
Tomato seeds are generally large enough to be handled individually, which allows you to space them out about 2.5cm (1in) apart on top of the seed compost. I use Levington F1S for seed sowing and press the seed into the surface with a flat board before covering them over with some fine grade Vermiculite. I then float the seed tray in water so the compost can soak from the bottom up, not disturbing the very light Vermiculite. Place the seed tray on a heated mat or inside a propagator for a quick, even germination.
When the seedling leaf is about 2.5cm (1in) in length, I transplant into 12 cell trays using Humax original compost. When moving the young seedling do make sure to handle it by the leaf and not by the stem. The stem of the tomato plant has very fine hairs on them and when these are in contact with moist compost they develop into roots. I therefore plant the seedling as deep as possible, with the seedling leaf often sitting on the surface of the compost.
Planting them this way ensures that the stem develops adventitious roots which further strengthens the plant. I do this at every potting stage, thereby ensuring that the tomato has a very strong root system when they're eventually planted up into my AutoPot system. ■ Why not follow me on Twitter throughout the season as I grow vegetables for my display at Malvern – @medwynsofangles.